Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cricket
Cricket is Victoria's summer love and it's the game that truly unites the state with the rest
of Australia. It has a stronghold in Victoria, given the hallowed ground of the MCG and
Cricket Australia's base in Melbourne. Seeing a Test at the 'G' is a must-do-before-you-die
rite of devotion for cricket fans from around the world - particularly the Boxing Day Test,
which attracts crowds of 80,000-plus; for many sport-mad Melburnians, it's a bigger deal
than Christmas itself. Warm days, cricket's leisurely pace and gangs of supporters who've
travelled from far and wide often make for great spectator theatrics. A schedule of Tests,
one-day internationals, T20 (both the national Big Bash League and international games)
and the Sheffield Shield state competition keeps fans happy throughout the rest of the sea-
son.
FORMULA-ONE RACING
These are the kind of figures that make petrolheads swoon: 300km/h, 950bhp and 19,000rpm. The Australian
Grand Prix is held at Albert Park's 5.3km street circuit, which winds around the normally tranquil park's lake and
is known for its smooth, fast surface. The buzz, both on the streets and in your ears, takes over Melbourne for four
days in March, attracting 110,000 spectators for race day. Since 2009 it's been a twilight race, starting at 5pm
(mainly for the benefit of TV audiences in the European time zones). Visit
www.grandprix.com.au
for event and
ticketing details.
While the first official Australian Grand Prix F1 event was held at Albert Park in 1996 (after Melbourne contro-
versially pinched the race from Adelaide), the lake track was used for grand-prix racing during the 1950s, seeing
the likes of legends Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss battle it out. Today, with the retirement of Mark Webber, the
nation's attention turns to Aussie young-gun Daniel Ricciardo, who's signed with the Red Bull Racing team.
